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It had been a few days since the Dubos Group left.

Sleeping, waking up, training, eating… it felt like the days were a continuous loop of something that seemed to change yet remained the same.

My routine, the monotony of the day, and my conversations with Vivian were all unchanged, but… there was a vague feeling of change I could sense.

It felt like the atmosphere between us, me and Vivian, had somehow matured a bit.

It was a subtle change, but those small shifts stacked up to alter the overall feeling.

Vivian was now wearing a breastplate that hugged her chest and had put on slightly thicker clothing.

Her gestures, hand movements, and gaze were also different—more mature and a little stiff.

Her speech and choice of words were not what they used to be either.

It didn’t feel uncomfortable, though. Perhaps it was just a necessary process we had to go through as we grew up.

If anything, it felt like it was happening too late.

Without adults around to guide us, we were carving our own lines together as we grew.

.

.

.

I was lying in the Punishment Unit’s quarters, passing time.

The bed was no longer as spacious as before and was slightly uncomfortable.

As Lani had marveled at how much I had grown, it certainly seemed like my body had indeed become larger.

Shaving my beard had become part of my daily routine, and my body odor had gotten stronger after sweating.

While I was marveling at these changes, I noticed some commotion outside the door.

“What the hell?”

Balron scratched his unshaven beard and peeked out the door.

Then came the frantic voices of my comrades.

“Hey! At least grab a chair, or something, just keep carrying that…!”

“Get some clean water! Are you an idiot? You think we’re gonna drink the same water as you!”

Martin and Willas also got up, puzzled by the commotion outside.

But before anyone could respond, someone came barreling into our room.

“Kyle!”

Duran, a boy soldier from my unit, popped his head in and shouted.

“Wake up! Vivian has come!”

Vivian…?

Only then did I understand the reaction of my comrades.

The others were in a fuss because they had never seen her, and while I was curious as to why she’d come here, that was my only thought.

I got up from the bed and walked to the door.

Just as I was about to step outside, I spotted someone who was at my chest level.

“…Kyle.”

Vivian grinned as soon as she saw me.

It was rare for us to smile at each other like that, and her smile made my breath catch for a moment.

Behind her were curious boy soldiers lined up.

Since we had exchanged faces during the last expedition, some of them were already tidying up their clothes with expressions full of loyalty.

Especially my comrades from the unit. They had memories of Vivian cooking food for them and changing their bandages.

Maybe that’s why they followed her with looks of camaraderie.

“…Why are you here?”

I asked, glancing around.

“Where’s Burgor?”

“I didn’t come looking for Burgor.”

Vivian replied.

Then she pushed at my chest and stepped into the room.

“Just come in.”

Balron, Willas, and Martin, who shared the room with me, moved aside in shock.

As Vivian entered the room, which smelled musty, the air changed.

Whether it was the scent of oil or a fragrant flower, her aroma pushed away the male odor.

Balron secretly swallowed, Willas looked around, and Martin even held his breath, waiting for Vivian’s next action.

Every time I saw this, it felt like I was reaffirming Vivian’s status.

Even though I was always with her and had only seen her in vulnerable moments… Vivian was a noble of this land.

If my comrades hadn’t been dragged in as boy soldiers, they would have never encountered Vivian up close like this.

…Could it be the same for me? If I hadn’t been taken hostage, I might never have met an ordinary southern woman.

Still, I couldn’t understand why she was entering my room.

Yet I didn’t stop her from doing so.

As Vivian stepped into the room, she glanced around the space where I had stayed for two years and spoke to my trio of roommates.

“Could you step aside for a moment so Kyle and I can talk?”

Balron, Martin, and Willas quickly agreed and dashed outside.

“Get out…! Out!”

“Move, you idiots!”

They shoved aside the boy soldiers crowding the door, and as they closed the door, Balron said,

“Have a nice time-”

-Smack!

“-Talk among yourselves.”

-Thud.

Once they left and the door closed, Vivian let out a light laugh as if she were enjoying something.

She said,

“…They all seem really nice.”

“…”

Vivian entering this room felt so foreign.

It was likely because this shabby space didn’t match her image.

“…What’s up all of a sudden?”

I asked, unable to contain the awkwardness.

Vivian wandered a bit without answering and then asked me,

“What’s your bed like?”

“…”

I pointed to my bed with my finger. Then without hesitation, Vivian approached the bed and sat down.

That was also a strangely provoking action. I worried if the bed had any smell, something I hadn’t worried about until now.

This was also part of the subtle change I was feeling between us.

In the past, I wouldn’t have been concerned about my body odor, and Vivian wouldn’t have asked about my bed.

Vivian nodded and instructed me to sit on the opposite bed.

I followed her suggestion.

“…So what’s going on?”

I asked again.

Then Vivian opened her mouth to speak.

“I’ve been thinking.”

“…About what?”

“About what happened with the Dubos Young Ladies the other day.”

It had been a few days since that incident.

We hadn’t talked about it once at the dining table, so I believed it was a thing of the past.

“Why bring that up all of a sudden?”

“The more I think about it, the more ridiculous I feel. I shouldn’t have been angry at Lani, but rather laughed at myself.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“Think about it. If my father ruled this land, would Lani have considered approaching you? Maybe I seemed too easy to approach, and that’s why she came to you?”

“…”

“These thoughts keep coming to me.”

There was a sharp undertone to her gentle words.

It felt uncomfortable to hear such things from her, especially considering how I understood her intentions.

No one is more neglected than a powerful figure like Vivian.

I pressed onward.

“…So what does that mean?”

Even if Vivian thought that way, there was nothing I could do.

It wasn’t a question but rather her own realization that she seemed to be sharing.

She probably didn’t come all this way just to have this kind of conversation.

In the end, I found myself prodding her to get to the point faster.

“No, I feel like this can’t go on. If Lani Dubos treated me like this, what would others do? If even the daughter of a family that swears loyalty to me treats me like this, what would those with similar power think?”

She tossed her red hair over her shoulder as she spoke.

“…That can’t be right, can it?”

The complexity of her words darkened my own heart.

I didn’t want to see an adult Vivian being stripped of everything, tossed around, and reduced to a pitiful state.

Even so, I replied curtly.

“…Wasn’t it always like that?”

“I wasn’t grounded in reality. I tried hard all this time without any direction. Plus, there were times I acted recklessly just because I didn’t want to be dismissed by you, didn’t want to die.”

“…”

Vivian drew a deep breath and asked me.

“Kyle. What do you think I need to survive without being killed by those targeting me? What do I need to not be dismissed?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“You want me to survive, don’t you?”

There was a faint arrogance in how Vivian conveyed that statement. Depending on how you put it, it could be seen as arrogance or trust.

“If you came to make my head spin, just go back. Rest.”

Vivian lightly dismissed my words.

“…I’ve come to a conclusion.”

She then spoke with a sense of decision, though a hint of unease lingered in her tone.

“First, I think I need soldiers. It should be soldiers who will steadfastly follow my orders and become my effective weapons.”

“…There are many. There are four knight orders…”

“-But are there any knight orders that I can truly trust? They were my father’s knights, not mine.”

As Baelor’s actions came to mind, it was hard to deny her words.

The commanders of the other knight orders were equally anxiety-inducing.

“Before the commanders even got to know me or build loyalty toward me, they all left. All that’s left is doubt and discontent toward me.”

“…So you intend to recruit new soldiers from the territory? Do you have the gold to manage new soldiers?”

“-Don’t you know why I’ve come all this way?”

Vivian casually surveyed the room.

Only then did I begin to grasp her plan.

“…”

Yet that understanding didn’t make her choice easily acceptable.

My head stiffened at what seemed like a reckless and sloppy plan.

There were countless questions and loopholes.

…But at the same time, it was hard to challenge anything outright.

The feeling that she must have put a lot of thought into this plan and the notion that this was the only path visible to her hit me simultaneously.

Vivian said,

“The boy soldiers here probably haven’t been grounded by other political issues… and they’ve gotten closer to me by going on expeditions together… They’re at a similar age, so if they just pledge loyalty to me, they’ll protect my side for a long time, won’t they? They can become the soldiers who follow me!”

That wasn’t wrong.

If these boy soldiers were to stay by her side when she reached her mid-twenties, they would indeed become a considerable force.

Though only 200 of them, thinking of them as the core around which a knight order would form wasn’t insignificant.

“It seems the only people who can be my soldiers and not my father’s soldiers are these boy soldiers.”

“…They’re all kids who’ve committed crimes thinking they’d be able to survive. Can you really trust them?”

“They all did what they did to survive. Many families have seen their fortunes dwindle after losing their fathers.”

Her point was valid, and I shrugged lightly.

“…Kyle, if you’re going to protect me, it’s better to do it with your comrades than alone.”

“…Comrades, my foot.”

She wrinkled her nose and challenged me.

“Isn’t it better to have the 1st Knight Order by your side instead of this rabble?”

“…That’s true, but…”

As I conceded, Vivian exhaled a big sigh.

The scent of flowers wafted even more intensely as she breathed out.

She looked at me with serious eyes and said,

“So Kyle, I have a request.”

“…”

“Teach your comrades to wield swords. Think of them as knights who will protect me and guide them.”

“Why should I?”

At my blunt response, Vivian looked slightly hurt and bewildered.

“…You’re not going to do it?”

And this was unfair.

It felt as though she expected me to agree to her request.

In the end, regardless of how we might clash with words, there was an unyielding truth we shared.

I wanted to protect her. For reasons unknown, both Vivian and I had a clear understanding of this fact.

The shame filling me was mine to bear.

Trying to conceal that feeling, I scratched my cheek and said,

“Just because I do that doesn’t mean they all become your soldiers. Winning their loyalty is a different story.”

“I know.”

Vivian answered firmly.

“…I will definitely get that from them. So you… just do it.”

“…”

Every time I saw her grow, my heart raced slightly.

It wasn’t as fast as when I wielded a sword or fought… but it was much quicker than the trembling I felt sitting still like this.

Was it because I remembered the days when she would only cry?

Seeing her stand up and forge her path… it stirred strange feelings within me.

I once again attempted to shake off this bizarre feeling and pushed on with my questions.

“You aren’t expecting this without any cost, right?”

Vivian laughed softly.

“…What would I give you? You’re my prisoner. You have to do as I say.”

“Then I won’t do it.”

At my response, she smiled as if it was just a joke and tilted her head slightly.

I couldn’t easily face that smile.

“…Just kidding. Do you need anything?”

“Send me home.”

“Are you crazy?”

Her expression froze in an instant.

I savored her irritated reaction for a moment as I pondered.

Truthfully, I didn’t need anything.

This land wasn’t my hometown, and having something wouldn’t hold any meaning.

I was accustomed to living here now, so it didn’t bring me discomfort.

If there was something I wanted…

“…”

“…”

I met Vivian’s gaze.

The mood subtly shifted.

It seemed Vivian felt it too, as she couldn’t hold eye contact with me for long like before, avoiding my gaze.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her playful expression disappeared.

To break the awkward atmosphere, Vivian cleared her throat and said,

“…I’ll get you a new sword.”

I smiled slightly.

“Okay. Got it.”

Vivian looked a bit surprised and asked again.

“…Are you helping me?”

“I have no other choice.”

She relaxed with a relieved expression.

Slowly, she collapsed onto my bed.

“Honestly, I was nervous you’d call it a dumb plan.”

“If you’re going to struggle, why would I say anything?”

“…Is that so?”

I nodded and said to Vivian.

“Then that’s settled. Get out now, don’t linger here.”

I didn’t like how her lying on my bed triggered odd thoughts in me.

Vivian also wobbled back to sit on the bed.

“…I’m leaving, but Kyle, just know one thing.”

“…?”

“I’ll be coming here often from now on. I need to get friendly with the boy soldiers and turn them to my side.”

I paused to think before asking.

“Are you sure? You have those pervs soaked in lust running rampant here.”

“…”

That seemed to hit a nerve, as Vivian’s expression stiffened.

I might have teased her a bit, but that reaction definitely made me feel like I’d need to protect her every time she came here.

No lunatic would openly display such tendencies in front of Vivian, but knowing that she would be exposed to such things made me feel somewhat dirty.

Perhaps that was why I wished she would leave this Punishment Unit’s quarters soon.

For someone to barge in unannounced to a place filled with men… she might stumble upon something she’d find repulsive.

Like dirty underwear… and more dirty underwear.

“Anyway, just go now.”

I stood up, turned my back to Vivian, and walked towards the door.

I planned to create an atmosphere that would allow her to leave.

“You’ve said everything you need to, haven’t you?”

Then a sudden thought struck me, and I turned to her.

“Oh, or you could tell the others about your plan-”

-Whack!

But as soon as I turned around, Vivian flinched wildly in surprise.

She acted quickly, but I saw it.

…Her holding my blanket to smell it.

“…”

“…”

“…You can… say it. They’re probably curious why you’re here.”

I was too startled to confront her about what she did.

Instead, I simply ignored it and continued talking.

“…”

“…”

My head was filled with confusion.

Why did she smell it? Was it disgusting? It was strangely embarrassing.

If this was the case, I should have kept up with my laundry.

All sorts of thoughts flooded my mind.

I opened the door with a stiff grip.

Outside the door stood many boy soldiers waiting.

Realizing that she had been caught in her action, Vivian lowered her head slightly to hide her expression.

“…Well, um, I’ll see you at dinner.”

She flustered, quickly stood up, awkwardly cleared her throat, and stepped outside.

 

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